Fallout 4: The Rebirth
by TheDarkCaptain
Summary: The right man, at the right time, in the right place, can make all the difference in what's left of this worthless wasteland. The General just pushed a button. Now it's time for the hard part, to change the Commonwealth into a nation worth living in.
1. Chapter 1 - Rebirth

War. War never changes.

The end of the world occurred much as many had known it would. In the 21st century, the world was quickly spiraling out of control. Resources scarcities the world over encouraged wars between old governments. They fought with machines and spilt each others blood, and each new advancement in technology and every victory offered their countries renewed hope. Thought it was all for naught, as the spoils of war just funded the next, and the next, until the world could spiral around no longer.

In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, this world reached its peak and could sustain itself no longer. In two short hours, much of the planet was reduced to glowing embers, and the Earth was nearly cleansed of human life. A great fire, lit by an atomic spark struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear rage rained from the heavens themselves. Entire continents were engulfed in the fires brighter than a thousand suns, and the oceans themselves roiled in the death throes of a burning planet.

A unquiet darkness blanketed the planet, lasting many years.

But humanity is stubborn, clinging to existence with all the strength it had left in it. So against the highest odds, despite what everyone thought, mankind would live on. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue for the next gruesome chapter in humanity's long and bloody history. For while man had succeeded in destroying the old world, the traditions held true to this next, and the killing would continue.

In these early days, thousands were spared from the fresh new horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground fallout shelters, known as vaults. When the doors opened, if they did at all, their inhabitants had only the cold hell of the wasteland to welcome them back to the surface. Then, with staunch resolve and determination, they set across the country to reclaim what once was lost. Many became savages and drug addicts, using the wasteland and its inhabitants for their own gain. The rest formed tribes, then towns and communities, realizing that there was power in numbers. Then as it once was, it shall be again, as these newly formed nations rose from old world ashes with vast armies to set out across the land and reap its resources.

And as the New California Republic and Caesar's Legion still squabbled in the west over another prize taken from them, a new nation was forming to the east. But unlike the others, this new phoenix rose not from the ashes of a long dead world, but from the spark of this new. Heralded in by one man of worlds and generations past, he can and will shape it how it was always meant to be. He is not some old world politician, or a scientist, or a zealot, but a humble soldier of a bygone era. Leading a faction that he returned from the brink of extinction, their sole purpose is to what all the others fail to do, protect the people. Not covet technology or progress scientific process without morals, or even spread civilization like others purport to do.

But if there's one thing that everyone in the former Commonwealth of Massachusetts know, it's that a dawn of a new era is upon them. They are about to witness the beginning of yet another chapter in history, some whether they like it or not, and it is guaranteed to change the face of this new world as they know it.

And War. War never changes.

-===(o|o)===-

 **Chapter 1: Rebirth**

One press. One press of a button, and the world shook once more. Everything the Institute had stood for, the fear, the paranoia of your friends and family turning on you, all gone in one big cloud of radiation and ashes. Nobody into their wildest dreams could have imagined such a fantastic gift. Not a year before now, entire settlements cowered in fear at the mention of their name, and the lack of hope in the future, and in themselves was astounding. Now though, even with the debris thrown from the blast obscuring their vision, they could finally see clearly.

And everyone knew none of this was possible without the work of one man, the man who had possibly lost more than anyone out on this God-forsaken husk of a planet. Nate, he was the General of the Minutemen, a former Sentinel of the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Father of the man whom he had just killed by his own hand. By pressing that button, he had just killed his own son, and all that his flesh and blood had strived to create. He looked as beaten as one man could be. Staring at the freshly smoldering crater with guilt, and possibly something akin to acceptance.

Sure, his son probably would have only survived another week, two at the most, but that didn't make it any easier on the General to incinerate him in the resulting explosion. His only consolation was that his child felt no pain, and was put out of any misery he was in at the time. It was as quick and clean as the first time the atomic fire had graced these lands.

His reprieve was interrupted by a breathy exclamation from Preston Garvey, "Holy Shit, that was one hell of a bang, wasn't it?" Nate just stared at him in response, eyes still glazed over, seeing him but not at the same time. Slightly unnerved, Preston continued "So that's it. The Institute is destroyed. It's finally over." Nate just nodded once slowly in response, as if asking it was real, then nodded twice again as he was finally spurred from his thoughts. "General..." Continued Preston, "You did issue the evacuation order right? I didn't notice in all the chaos."

Finally back to the real world, Nate shot a glare at Preston, looking personally affronted that someone would ever insinuate he would leave men, women, and children down there to perish. He finally spoke for the first time after the relay, "Of course Preston, everyone who wanted to or found a way to leave got out when they could. I'm sure some were still in there though, panicked in a corner or something. We saved those we could." The General finished resolutely, eyes still shining in the night.

Preston, looking abashed that his General had almost called him out on his tone, stated "Oh, of course. Good, I had thought so, just... Looking at that explosion... I hope enough people got away." Kicking the ground once in frustration he continued, "I hate that we had to do that, but they left us no choice. It was war." Preston turned to the General with reverence, "But now the war against the Institute is over, thanks to you."

Nate glanced back at the smoldering center once more. "Your right Preston, it was war. We might not have wished to do that, but our motto had prevented inaction. 'Protect the people at a moment's notice' remember? We couldn't just sit idly by as the Institute caused the downfall of the rest of the Commonwealth. They almost kicked off a civil war due to it." Nate paused for a moment to look at the other two Minutemen, and then cast his steely gaze toward the rest of the wastes. "Plus now, for the first time in history, the Commonwealth has the chance to build something great. They may finally unite, and the Minutemen must be there to make sure it all runs smoothly. We will promote cooperation, for the promise of a better tomorrow, even if I have to personally drag the rest of Commonwealth from out of the ruins of the 21st century by their ears to do so."

Preston grinned widely, and even the Minutemen had a few chuckles. "I couldn't have said it better myself. And you may have to do just that, General, Diamond City and Bunker Hill are sure to give you loads of headaches." Nate just looked at him and groaned exaggeratedly. "Kessler and Ann Codman are going to drive me crazy and back if I have to talk to, or even look at them, for too long" He then proceeded to pull out a pair of brass knuckles out of one of his many pockets before cracking his fingers as he looked at them thoughtfully. "At least I can always resort to my excellent people skills in time of such need" he said before slipping them back in his pack at his hip. He even patted the pocket they were in almost fondly, as if remembering some of the better times he had with them.

Noticing such an action had a sobering effect on Preston, even if it was not the purpose of the byplay they were sharing. "Not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows from here on out either. Sure it will be much better, not slighting on what we have accomplished today, but there are still many other problems. One such problem is the Gunners holed up in the Quincy ruins" Preston spat out that last part with distaste, "and the hordes of Ghouls and Supermutants that constantly threaten our settlements. They must be dealt with to have a truly united Commonwealth."

"Naturally" The General said, " but we must also wait a while. We may not have had many losses, but we did lose people. Wait for the word to get out of our deeds here, and have Radio Freedom broadcasting our story every other chance we get. We must spin this story in our favor as much as we can, it will be a massive boon if we do this correctly." The General paused for a moment, absently rubbing his stubble in thought. "We also should reach out to my good friend Travis. He has a much larger fan base now he's actually decent at his job, and that radio of his can reach every corner of the 'Wealth. Can't forget about Publik Occurrences either, Piper would have my head if I don't give her an exclusive interview to write on." He smiled fondly, knowing she'd be bouncing up and down in anticipation for the biggest scoop of her career. (Preston just smirked knowingly at the General) "After we get them to report on the biggest news for the last 200 years, we should be flooded with new recruits and opportunities. Then we can begin planning any major campaign or projects and such." The General clapped once in finality and smiled wirily "For now though, how's about we get off this roof? I think I've seen enough of nuclear craters to last the rest of my years."

"Of course General." Preston smiled good-naturedly, "Sadly, it appears we might just have to take the normal way down. The Institute may have been evil megalomaniacs, but they sure knew how to make life easier for themselves. The teleporter would have been a very useful tool. Plus, now we have to explain ourselves to the Brotherhood lackeys still down there in the Mass Fusion building."

"Hmm... You just let me handle the Brotherhood. I am still a paladin you know, if not an official one. Just don't let them know too much about what has occurred today, until we find out just how we're going to play this trump card of ours..." The General trailed off in his musing, before he snapped to attention. Barking out a quick, "Fall in Step men, let's show these power armored brutes what a real battle hardened fighting force looks like." The General strode his way to the door, chin held high and confident. If there was one thing they taught you in the military, Nate thought wirily, it was how to walk like your important.  
Scrambling behind him, nthe other two Minutemen fumbled with their guns, caught of guard by the order. Preston just slid over to his right hand side, used to this type of quick change in behavior, and better matching his walk then the other two. They filed into the extra large elevator two by two, and rode for a bit in relative silence.  
"I do have to make a short pit stop, so don't wait up for me. Walk out the door and head straight to the Castle, I'll catch up. Also, don't get stopped by any of those Brotherhood for an extended period of time, they don't hesitate to detain you if you even look to have valuable Intel, and I don't want us explaining ourselves to them"

Finally reaching the bottom, the Brotherhood guard tensed up, before recognizing the Minutemen outfits and the General. They still kept a firm grip on their weapons, though they did lower them. The General broke off to the right, disappearing into the depths of the building, and a soft *ding* of an elevator was heard. The other three continued towards the exit. One of the Knights currently out of his armor took a step forward half-threateningly and opened his mouth to say something, but the small troop of three Minutemen just brushed by him, not even breaking their stride or glancing at him. The small troop, minus the General, continued onto the road and held up for another minute there to get their bearings, before setting off on a south-easternly course.

The General had finally caught up to them another minute after that, grinning like a loon. The Minutemen slowed a bit, to afford him a chance to explain himself, and give a slight respite from the pace they had set. He walked up, looking at all the men around him, still wearing that stupid grin, before he exploded into laughter. The others just looked at each other incredulously, wondering if all the pressure finally broke their beloved General. He wiped the tears from his eyes after another fit of giggles, and looked at each of them before asking "What did you do to those poor Brotherhood members back there?"

The men just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well I'll have you know, from the few faces I saw there, you really made an impression. One of the knights I passed looked like he just bit into a rotten tato, and the others along the walls all had the best fish impressions I had ever seen. They just looked at each other back and forth, with their mouths hanging open wide enough to catch a bloatfly, easily!" Nate lost it in another fit of booming laughter this time, for another long minute. Before finally he gained control of himself again. Looking at the three other men completely straight-faced, he reached into one of his many pockets and withdrew a handful of bottlecaps, before dealing out twenty to each of them. He then enthusiastically shook each of their hands, repeating "thank you" over and over again as he went down the small line. He finally straightened up one last time, before smiling once more as he shook his head. "priceless" he said, still shaking his head in mirth, before he just continued down the path, whistling merrily as he went.

The Minutemen and Preston just stood there still, twenty shining caps in each of their left hands, and their rights still outstretched. They just all glanced at each other, before all turning as one to look at their retreating figure of the General, still whistling merrily along as he passed down the other side of a rubble heap. Pocketing the caps, they shared one last incredulous look with one another, before Preston finally put to voice what they were all thinking. "Our General is a VERY, very strange man" he said with finality. The other just nodded with smiles on their faces, before a massive mushroom cloud rose with a loud boom and bright flash on the other side of the hill their General just disappeared over not a second ago. Preston could have SWORN that he heard a whoop of laughter coming from that direction too, but fearing another firefight he dismissed it as more strange noises from the buildings surrounding them, and took off with the other two Minutemen hot on his heels. After all, they had to be ready to defend anyone at a moment's notice.

* * *

 **Hey, you made it to the end of the chapter, good on you! I hope you enjoyed this first installment of 'The Rebirth', and hope you'll come back to see the next chapter too. I am planning to make them longer, about 2,500 words each is the goal. Hoping to post the next chapter sometime soon, but who knows? Life has a habit of getting in the way of all your plans like that. Fallout is just plain distracting, what can I say. Thanks for reading!  
**

 **And for the sake of keeping everything nice that I own, here's the disclaimer. I do not own anything, or make money off of anything Bethesda. They own the Fallout franchise, and my soul. This applies to the entire story, so it won't be repeated each chapter. Thanks!  
**


	2. Chapter 2 - Starting Anew

Daybreak over the castle was always a special moment, if anyone ever really thought about it long enough, or even cared. The silence that reined as the last dregs of darkness was driven away, and the truly horrible creatures slunk back to their caves full of whatever unfortunate creature that decided it was smart to travel at night. Most people were just moving along, still buried under the layers of heavy black cloaks that were probably used as extra padding for their blankets earlier. Almost shapeless masses that, if not for the whispers of the clothing and slight crunch of soil under well-worn boots, would be as silent as the grave. The fresh morning air still had that little nip from the night, and Nuclear winter only compounded on the cold Boston air. That's still a constant even after all the earth has been through.

But the truly special moment, if one ventured to the patio chairs and umbrella covered table upon the cleared stone ramparts, was the morning sunrise. If somebody wanted to almost forget about all the shit they go through on a day-to-day basis, they come to the table. If anyone in the Castle was picked at random by a weary traveler, and asked where one could find a place like that here, they would point to that table. Because when you sit down, a crisp and clear, radiation free beer or Nuka-Cola in hand, and watch that sunset rising over Boston Harbor sparkling of the waves? You'll never see anything more beautiful like it, and that feeling of peace tends to stay with you, until you find an excuse to come back just to do it again.

Of course, one has to be awake enough to even stand up to be there when the sun comes up, and Cait, was not that person.  
"Who th' Fuck turned on tha' light?' Cait groaned out from somewhere under the pile of blankets piled even bigger than a Yao Guai.

Unfortunately, her equally crabby roommate Piper, decided that today was her weekly 'I'm a sassy reporter, watch as my mouth gets me in trouble again' day, and unwisely snapped out. "It's called the Sun, Cait, and I hate it as much as you do. Frankly I liked looking at you better in the darkness anyway, where I couldn't see your pitiful tan."  
Cait couldn't resist sending a verbal jab back at Piper, as she moved the piles of blankets and cracked one eye open. "Oh, that's adorable. Has it been to long since your 'Blue' gave you something better to think about? Worried he decided to stop and pay Magnolia a visit before coming back home? She is quite pretty you know."

Piper couldn't even find words, just sat on her bed gaping at Cait, absolutely flabbergasted. It's not too often a reporter is speechless, especially Piper. Then her brain finally processed what was just said, and she started sputtering protest. "How did you….… what…...…am I… No! Nononononono…We're not even dating yet, and why should I care who Blue sees? He's a single man, he should get to choose who he wants. Blue deserves all the happiness in the world, and I'm not even right for him and not perfect like he probably wants and deserves…." She finally trailed off once she realized she was rambling, blushing harder and redder than a Laser shot.  
Cait just smirked in triumph, and said a one-word question, "Yet?"

Silence fell while Piper went over everything she just said, before she found her mistake. She let out a small "Eep" of terror before deeming a comeback was required to salvage what was left of her dignity. Before even thinking Piper yelled "At least I didn't sleep with half the raiders on this side of the coast!" Even as she was saying that, she knew that was a much lower blow then what was deserved.

Cait's expression darkened considerably, before leaping out of her bed toward Piper, ready to finish off what many have tried to do over the years and kick her little ass. And for the perhaps second time in her life, Piper felt fear.

-Outside-

Jonathan, the middle-aged Minuteman that ran the Radio Freedom Broadcasting Building in the center of the Compound was just announcing, "Good morning Commonwealth, your listening to Minuteman radio. We have some news on the massive explosion that rocked Boston at Twelve last night coming very soon, just stay tuned a little while longer."  
With that done he sat back in his chair and sipped on his ice-cold Nuka-Cola from his cooler. Contemplated all that is about to happen soon. The way the wind is blowing, he was soon to become one of the best known people in the wasteland, his voice reaching every Minutemen and relaying orders. He also thought of how great his new 'home' was. It was one of the few structures in the courtyard, and was made of concrete resembling an old prewar military bunker. The puny and undefended old wooden supports were gone, and in its place a defensible building that could be sealed in a crisis, while still able to broadcast. Not to mention how warm it was inside now, with the cold wind off his back and face. He was easily the safest person in the whole Fortress. If anyone even managed to get past those new thirty-foot-tall and twelve foot-thick walls the general had built to replace the crumbled and broken sections, he was still behind another line of defense. There was only two ways in to the courtyard of the Castle, and the heavy wooden and iron gates could be shut as quick as flipping a switch.

Suddenly, he jumped as static erupted from his radio, before a tinny voice of The General said "Jonathan, just updating you that were are only thirty minutes out, so let everyone know to expect our arrival."

"Understood sir, we await your arrival. Castle out." He replied, before cutting the transmission. He then used the intercom system and relayed the message, to many cheers and fanfare. The Castle residents suddenly had an extra bustle in their step, trying to get more chores done so they could watch the victorious procession enter the castle. They wanted to be there to see the people that saved them from almost certain kidnapping and a grisly death at the hands of madmen. Johnathan took a deep breath and just mused on the past few days, how quickly things were moving. He only hoped it would all turn out for the best. Then again, he thought, the General would accept nothing less.

-Outskirts of Castle-

While on the way back, Nate had made a point of picked up a few scattered teams of Minutemen, until they easily numbered 30 strong. The General knew they could travel faster together, and it was a substantial show of force to anyone thinking they might be weaker after the attack. Even the dumbest and most suicidal super mutant would think twice before going anywhere near them. Didn't mean they didn't still try though. But the real reason was all about intimidation. Only two other groups could muster any organization such as this, and one is just a group of souped up glorified raiders.

When Nate finally emerged from the buildings close to the blown-out Coffee shop, he was surprised at how many people were lined up waiting for the groups return. With him leading in front, and Preston a short step back on his right, they led the large group of militiamen up to the throng of people cheering wildly. The marching formation finally broke apart, as many of the volunteer soldiers embraced their family members whom had waited anxiously for their arrival.

The, fortunately, very small number of people who lost someone spent the time weeping quietly near the back of the crowd, consoled by everyone around them. There were also those who looked over anxiously for their relatives when they were told they indeed made it out, but may not have made it back yet. The crowd was also swelled by the many well wishers who were informed of the operation by connections in the Ranks, and Nate realized that the news was going to break all across the commonwealth like wildfire. He needed to draft an official statement to release to Travis and Jonathan on the radio stations, such as to dispel rumors and speculation on the events that transpired in the belly of the beast.  
Meanwhile, he just smiled and waved, even stopping to have short conversations with people. He made extra effort to make himself seem approachable, and nobody was ever hurt from being nice he'd always say. He knew just what to say and when to say it, and tried his hardest to be modest when people heaped praise on him, deferring it to his men instead.

Once he had bid the most recent well-wisher goodbye, he led the party through to the courtyard and climbed the stairs up a recently repaired stage. Minutemen flags waved over his head on both sides, and some old patriotic curtains hung from the front of the stage. He waited silently for a while, while others shuffled in and quieted down. When everyone's attention was on him, he spread his arms in a welcoming and questioning manner and began in a warm voice, "So where's the after-party at?" Whatever tension that may have been stirring during the short wait instantly dissipated, and they all shared a short laugh.  
Shaking his head and laughing lightly, he waved at the crowd gathered beneath him. "Welcome everyone, I thank you all for finding the time to listen to me speak. You may or may not have heard, but unless some of you gotten lost and just wound up here, I'm assuming you all know what I'm about to talk about. For those who actually did wind up here, I'll explain it to you. A couple of days ago, the Castle was attacked by none other then the Institute." A couple of gasps rang out from those who didn't know. "It failed spectacularly thanks to our heavy turret grid, and we didn't even sustain an injury, unless you count Stewart's stubbed toe when he leapt out of bed too fast. I would be shocked if he didn't whine about it near you at one point."  
Near the back a man called out in a fake whiny voice "That sucker STILL hurts!" To much more laughter now they were all comfortable listening to Nate. "But jokes aside" He continued, "We were fortunate to not suffer any losses. Turrets are replaceable with parts, I can't replace my brothers in arms. I'd would sacrifice all the spare parts in the world to keep my men alive." He paused for a moment to maximize the impact his words had on the crowd. "After the attack, we declared war upon the Institute. We worked against them, but had not engaged in open hostilities up until that day. Everywhere across the Commonwealth Minutemen got the order. 'Exterminate every last Institute synth you see, the Institute had declared war on the Commonwealth'. Secret Operations and Field Experiments they were running were instantly shut down thanks to our Intel. Aside from the few that managed to escape, or those we have yet to learn about, almost every single Institute operation on the surface was eradicated. The only ones left were the Institute themselves. I gained access to the facility, which was underneath the Old CIT building the entire time, and let the rest of the army in. What actually happened inside is mostly confidential, but we blew up the Nuclear reactor they were constantly bragging about on Dimond City Radio. Set the detonator, and retreated to a safe distance to watch to fireworks.

Those of you who know me understand I value human life. In this day and age, we all should. I may not have enjoyed blowing up their home, necessary as it was. But when you try to kill my family, and my friends, there is no place in the world I will not personally travel to in order for vengeance. I can guarantee you, that I am not the only one in this crowd tonight who has no problems promising that. The Minutemen SHALL not stand by, as people enforce their dominion over technology to subjugate good, honest and hardworking people like you. The Minutemen WILL not stand by as terrorists kidnap, experiment, and murder our loved ones. The Minutemen DO not stand by, when these insurgents come blowing down our doors expecting us to just roll over and let them trample all over us. When have we EVER sat back and let this world shit on our ways of life? Never. We are survivors! We have fought Deathclaws, Yaoi Gui, Stingwings and even the land itself to try and just survive! We aren't even Living yet. Living is when you are happy with your place in life. Living is when you can let your children out to play with no fear of something horrible happening. Living is when you can sit back after a long day, open a cold beer, and finally say 'I made it'. THAT is what really living is.

Then, when I'm old and frail, and your children are all grown up living happy lives with kids of their own. When their kids have no idea what a monster even is anymore, aside from the ghost stories told, that's when I'll be able to finally sit back and say, 'I made it'.

I will not rest until that future is realized, and I hope all you gathered here today will be standing right next to me, looking out at this new world we created together.

For the Minutemen, For the Commonwealth, and for the Future!" he finally ended, before he walked off the stage, heading towards his quarters. Moods were running high, and people lost to despair were finally revitalized. Cheers rang out, and people clapped each other on the back in their excitement.

Then, Nate suddenly hopped back up on the stage, with one last important thing to say, "Also, let's all go get drunk off our asses later, tonight we celebrate the New World! And before you decide not to come... I'm buying." The crowd went absolutely wild at that statement, before beginning the chant of, "General, General, General" in celebration. Nate was swarmed as he walked down the steps, surrounded by people with nothing but adoration and reverence for this Hero walking among them.

* * *

 **Hey peeps! You got through another chapter, yay for you! I'm surprised anyone might actually want to keep reading, but hey, I'm not complaining. If you liked, please drop a comment, or follow if you might like where this is heading. I always have ideas running through my head, but I'm certainly not an English major. That and I'm never that good at longer stories. I prefer to read, not write, but I figured I might as well give it a shot. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Making Plans

**This ones a little bit wordy in some parts, but I think the chapter itself turned out all right. Apologies ahead of time for any errors, the system doesn't like transferring from my phone, to email, and then to Fanfiction.**

* * *

When Nate finally got back to his room in the Northeast wing, closest to the sea, he unceremoniously and limply flopped into his clean padded chair behind his desk. He groaned loudly, before sagging forward to rest his head on his polished old wood desk. Not wanting to think of all the work piled ahead of him, he started thinking of interesting little things he's collected over the years, like the very desk he's resting on.

Pulled from an old executive suite when Nate found it out exploring, he was shocked to find just how pristine it was after so long. Made from woods such as ebony, walnut, and cherry, the colors were dark and rich, matching the other style of wood he covered the floors of the castle stone with. It also was elegantly carved, in a way which the quality of craftsmanship would probably never be seen again. Though with most plant life on earth dead, there was really no point anyway. Bemusedly he also realized that, yes, it looked quite like the old U.S Presidents desk, not that anyone other than a pre-war ghoul would realize that. But hey, if anyone deserved some niceties in this world it was him.

Sitting up, he pressed the power button on his RobCo Terminal, the green startup sequence beginning as he looked around some more.

There was a bookshelf nearby, with a strange and unique gun on each shelf. It was one of the weirdest things he found about the post-war weaponry. Even they seemed to have mutated, because they now produced different effects. Some gave a radiation or flame charge to bullets fed though the gun, even when the type of bullet was never changed. Others did particularly more damage to Ghouls, and others still were highly explosive. You had to be careful when you got a new gun, if you removed it off an enemy that was ten time harder to kill then normal. Most had an effect on them, and if you weren't careful bad things could happen, like losing a leg.

His particular favorite, and the one resting on the side of the desk, was one he received from the store in Vault 81. A .45 round, fully modded Combat Rifle with a reflex scope. They called it Overseers Guardian, but he much preferred to just call it Guardian. It's unique ability was it shot two bullets at a time, but for the price of one. He conserved double the ammo, and it made sure everything he wanted dead, became that way.

There was only one other he wouldn't leave without, and that was his trusty .308 sniper rifle, Whisper. There was no strange effect on this one, though he did have Reba 2, which did more damage against Mirelurks, and an Explosive Rifle in storage, for those situations that only an Anti-Material rifle could solve. He kept this one from his time in the military, when he pulled a short stint as a sniper tasked with hunting down Chinese Officers. They had let him keep it after he returned home, because they were ecstatic with the results of his mission. Evidence of success could still be seen on his stock, where for every kill he made another.

Seeing as he had no true use for it in his military retirement, it was buried several feet down in his backyard at Sanctuary, in a leaded box under an oak tree's roots. After he left the vault, it was one of the very first things he retrieved, even if he only had less than 50 rounds of ammo at the time. Over 200 years old, and it still worked like a dream to this day.

Of course, parts of the gun had still been exposed to elements, so much of the original gun was scrapped as he upgraded it to better damage and longer range. With a name like Whisper, you could almost certainly expect the weapon was silenced, and keeping properly maintained kept it quiet. It was useful to clear the majority of enemies from a local, before he mopped up with a silenced Guardian. To tell the truth, the majority of his weapons were silenced. Why would one want to make it harder for themselves by letting the enemies know they were there?

The terminal finally finished the startup sequence, and after entering his four word passcode "In A Moments Notice", the 'main' screen had opened up. This opening page contained all his 'plans' for the future of the Commonwealth. In reality though, it was utter bullshit. This screen could access everything on the main server, and only a foolish and careless man would leave his plans on an easily downloadable server.

The General was anything but a foolish and careless man.

He actually had a secret server hidden away, in a secure location only he knew of. If your accessed one of the pages, and typed a second code "Prepared for the Future", his backup server, and his true plans, booted up.

Some would say that this extra security was just paranoia, but hey, he lived in a time when Communist spies were everywhere. Occupying a position anywhere above Private required you to submit daily reports, with as much added protection as you could.

In truth, he still wasn't satisfied with the protection in place. If he could, he would make seven other failsafes, with each level of plans alternating. Some becoming more and more absurd sounding, and intermittently he would throw in a perfectly feasible one, until one finally reached the end. Then at the very end, he would make it the craziest of them all, detailing every little insane thing he would do. Then, when the hackers have 10 separate plans to choose from, they have no idea which is just a ruse, and which is actually the truth.

Maybe one day, he thought, when enough people are educated to pose a threat, and the Minutemen have long since formed the greatest nation in the world. Then he could finally satisfy his desires. Knowing Deacon, he'd try, and probably already tried, to access his secure network. Assuming that he, or the Railroad, had known that I wouldn't be so careless with valuable intel.

He shook his head quickly, chasing away his daydreaming. There was much work to be done, and very little time to do it in. He quickly pulled up two things, one was the press release he had prepared in advance for Diamond City and Radio Freedom stations, while the other was his memo for the Board Meeting he was about to call. He copied them to individual holotapes, and closed and shut down the computer.

On his way out, he quickly holstered Kellogg's Pistol, now nicknamed "The Redeemer" and closed the doors behind him. The Castle had plenty enough security to let him relax a bit. He wanted to show the men and women he trusted them with his well being, but this was still the Commonwealth, and you would be a fool to go without a weapon. There was also the tiny fact that the Castle currently boasted just under a quarter of the Minutemen Army, who just returned from blowing up on of the largest factions in the Commonwealth. Add that to the permanent Garrison force of 20 Full time Minutemen and 30 trainees at any given time, plus the array of mortars and missile turrets lining the walls. Nothing less than another nuclear bomb was ever going to defeat this Castle, the General was confident in that. Certainly not another measly Mirelurk Queen that a squad of 6 had taken down with less trouble any of them had expected.

He passed by his heavily armed door guards, who both nodded to him with a respectful "General". He nodded back, and continued on the corridor to the right, passing by the 'Medical Supply and Aid' trading station, and the 'General Store' trader. The few people in line respectfully parted as he walked past, and he bid them all a good afternoon.

He moved on to the courtyard, following the cobble path to the Radio tower, stopping every so often to talk to some visitors, or a passing Minuteman patrol on its way to keep the route to the Castle clear. Eventually, he made it inside the base of the tower, quickly shutting the door behind him with a bit more force than was necessary. Johnathan just grinned from his reclining rolling chair, amused that the General could do so well with crowds, yet still become exasperated that quickly by having to deal with others. Socializing was overrated, according to the General, but he understood the necessary reasons.

Johnathan had offered his second chair, a matching seat to his own, to the General, but he declined it. "Sorry John, today is just not the day for one of our chats. Ain't no rest for the wicked, or the good, or anyone planning to put together a stable government for that matter."

"Say no more my friend" The Newscaster assured him, "I would say I understand completely, but to be honest your the only one in this wasteland with that knowledge. But anyway, I had just finished up the recording of your speech. Quality stuff, and sure to get people listening. I was going to air it just before you walked in, so I'm anxious to see which would go better as an opening broadcast."

The Generals answer was to hand him the holotape containing the stats of the battle, and just to ask for permission to use the intercom system.

Johnathan had already known this was coming from the briefing he had before the battle, and was quite interested to hear what the after-action report was. As to the intercom, he just gestured for Nate to go ahead, already loading the files on his computer nearby. Nate smiled amusedly, and proceeded to call a meeting of all his present companions and higher ranking staff members in the Southeast bastion. He then took one last look at the radio manager, so deeply engrossed in the information he didn't even look up, and left the building shaking his head all the while.

 _ **-THE MEETING ROOM-**_

"Welcome everyone! Thank you all for coming", began the General, standing up as he began his opening, "Considering I already have given one inspirational speech today, let's get right into the thick of things. Currently, the main topic on the table is 'Let's all guess why Piper and Cait have black eyes and won't stop glaring at each other!' I know what my money's on!" The aforementioned Women began to look suitably chastised, and they took a quick glance around to see that, indeed, the meeting had started. Cait still held her chin high though, she may have been admonished, but her pride was at stake here. The General just sighed, knowing that was the best he'd ever get from her, and continued "The main issue today is the reconstruction of the Post-Institute War Commonwealth. Specifically surrounding the Minutemen and their place as the largest, if not the most powerful, faction in the Greater Boston area. Preston, you have the floor".

"Thank you General", Preston began, as he handed out papers to each person, "This is a status report of all the settlements currently under our protection, totaling 84 different sites, with 37 being under direct ownership. Other places, such as Far Harbor, Nuka-World, Goodneighbor, Dimond City, Atom-Cats Garage, and the growing towns of Salem and University Point all have a type of government of their own, even though we do control those indirectly." Preston paused as people perused the documents.

"You'll also find that there wasn't the widespread raider attacks that we had feared, General. Considering some of our forces had been away, and the modest chaos that had ensued after the blast, we got pretty lucky. It mostly stayed pretty quiet, but there was a small dust-up out at the Slog. A group of the Forged, under their new leader 'Cinder' had sent out a scouting party, but didn't really come any closer than half way down the road. Our new turret emplacements kept them at a distance, and the laser musketeers were watching for any sudden moves." Preston sat back down, finished with his report.

"Hmm... That last part is troubling to hear. They were probably scouting at the defenses, and may think of sending some of their rejects down that way to 'prove' themselves. For now, add another weapons squad to the patrols in that area, and put them on alert. It may be time for the Forged to be eliminated permanently. I certainly wouldn't mind those Ironworks either, if we want to get some more resources to build walls around our settlements, and the infrastructure of this new government up..." the General trailed off, lost in his musing.

"Sir, I know you have this big goal all worked out for the Commonwealth..." Isabel Cruz began, "But what exactly are you going to to about a government? I mean, most people out here don't even know what a Government is."

"Well, I'll answer that more completely eventually, but to hold you over until such a time, I'll explain a bit of it. Has anyone heard of the CPG? Or Commonwealth provisional government?"

A few murmurs of assent answered him, mostly from Nick, Piper, and Ronnie Shaw.

"Well, I'll tell you the basics. All the settlements across the Wasteland with even a bit of power, sent representatives to hash out an agreement, to propose a new form of government. Create order, a economy and infrastructure. The problem is, the Institute sent one of their own." He paused for a second, considering what to say.

"Now the stories differ, between the synth being the last survivor, or the cause of the slaughter, but the end result was the same, all talks ceased. Now, with the Institute gone, the Minutemen providing a bastion of power, and more settlements popping up then ever before, we have a hope. A hope that a plan for government will actually work, and even begin to be implemented in the near future. That's what I'm preparing for. That's why I've been setting up those new, experimental leadership settlements. Barney Rook, in Salem, is a great example."

"So everything you've been doing from the start, was to set up a new government?" Preston asked, curiously.

"Well, not from the start. Originally it was just to find my son. The fact that I had already figured out Settlers in Sanctuary and Red Rocket would be beneficial to my efforts was purely coincidental. It happened to line up so well with the Minutemen ideal, then you explained to me about lack of stable power, and offered me the Generalship. That's when I began to wonder if it would be possible."

"But anyway, back on topic. Politics can wait a few more weeks. I want some battle plans drafted, and see if you can find some way to counteract those flamers. Asbestos would be a great start, so see if you could put together enough asbestos for a Company of 80 men. That should be enough manpower to subdue them. Make sure the soldiers remove the asbestos lining from their combat armor after though, it was being investigated pre-war for causing cancer. I recall my wife telling me about it when she was cursing the big, corrupt businesses. I'd rather not have THE incurable disease to worry about. Until we get the Vault 81 labs running again, we have no solution to a thing like that."

The General shuffled some papers around, crossing things off of his lists.

"Next order of business, the state of the troops. Quartermaster Shaw, how are things looking?"

"These youngsters are shaping up pretty good General. Their almost as good as in my day, and I'll grudgingly admit, possibly better. Preston and that Danse feller you got teaching em are sure whipping them boys inta a real fighting force. Course, you couldn't do it without me supplying such good weapons an such." Ronnie finished, quite smug with herself.

"Yes, Danse's knowledge of Brotherhood training is quite valuable, and I've taught Preston everything I know personally, from my time in the Army. Unfortunately, Danse is away on business currently." Nate paused, "Speaking of what you just said, how are the stocks of gear looking?"

"Well. . ." Ronnie thought for a second, "We seem to be running low on Combat Rifles and .45 ammo. We have a surplus of .38 and Pipe Weapons. Many of the Minutemen coming and going are switching out their weapons with better gear, to be more effective. Combat armor pieces are also at an all time low, considering we had to equip for the Institute."

"Okay, send the surplus Ammo and Weapons to the Starlight Manufacturing Plant. Have them scrap it and change them into more Combat Rifles to compensate. I'll designate an extra convoy to your sector. I'll also inform them to start production of more armor, so by time the convoy arrives, a shipment of pieces should be ready to come back. Additionally, designate 6 more guards. I don't want some raiders getting an influx of weapons and armor."

Ronnie nodded, before standing up and leaving the room to go see to it. Her part in the conversation was over, and she had other, more pressing priorities.

"Some new business I have to bring up, is new branches of the military. These include Robots, A Navy and Mechanized Infantry, and an Air Force."

"Now, we have "The Mechanists Lair", which after adding more nuclear generators, and cleaning the assembly lines, we can crank up production in. After long consideration, I figured basic Assaultrons would be the best robot of choice. Agile, able to sprint and run for long distances, and can traverse all terrain quickly. Deadly with their spinning, jabbing hands and ultimate head laser. Smart, able to hold conversation, and take orders. Taking into account most Minutemen squads are patrolling, a miniature Liberty Prime that's quick, small, and relentless sounds perfect. Sentry boys are best at holding a checkpoint, so we'll take the schematics from the Robotic Disposal Grounds and use that as a base. Isabel Cruz, your perhaps the best here with Robots, so that's your new Division. Congratulations on your promotion."

She nodded in thanks, understanding the faith he was placing in her, and the chance at redemption. Others around the table clapped respectfully, happy for this oft-subdued girl.

"I have a plan with the navy, but for now, just start salvaging seaworthy ships. They don't have to be ready for battle anytime soon, but I'll need them to start transporting troops and supplies, so get some men and have them learn how to drive a boat."

"The Infantry though, I want those APC's running. Their Armored Personnel Carriers, Tanks, and crowd control all in one. Swivel ball turrets on front, big ass cannon on top. Perfect for our Army. Those Tanks too, I've seen at least 8 in my travels. Big bore, twin, turbo charged cannons would be best for our health if they were used on our enemies instead of ourselves. That means clearing out Fort Hagen Armory of any more riff-riff that have moved in since last time. Shouldn't be too difficult though."

Nate sighed, taking a sip of his purified water before continuing.

"Air Force is, in some ways easier, and most ways much harder. The Brotherhood know how to create Vertibirds, but we don't have access to that knowledge. I know someone that does, whom is also sympathetic to our cause. But we risk her position in the Brotherhood, and our mutual understanding with them as a faction. Reverse-engineering one sounds better, so I'll send the locations of those I've found to Sturges, and he can see which are easiest to recover. I'll need a few people to try and oversee that."

Macready, who was actually making paper airplanes out of some of the documents, raised his hand. He thought it sounded interesting, but the caps the General was sure to throw that way sounded much better.

"There's also a few planes around, called Stingrays. They were pre-war multi purpose bombers and fighters, and I would love to have them available in our Air Force. I'll send those locations over too, but fortunately they all seemed intact, and the Arcjet Building would have the schematics to build them already. Let's hope it's not been picked over by Brotherhood scribes yet." Nate nodded to Macready, silently asking if he understood all that. Macready nodded back, sitting up straighter.

"And that concludes the business of the Army as a Whole. Almost done people, then we can go party!" The General said with a smile, to a few other laughs.

"The last order of business is on the subject of the Brotherhood of Steel. Strangely, they haven't tried to send a Vertibird over and question us, something I fully expected them to do. For now, train some artillery on them at all times, and keep me updated constantly if the situation changes. Their not stupid enough to try anything, yet, so we don't have to worry overmuch." Nate paused to emphasize his next point. "There is much valuable Intel we can get from them, and there are quite a few soldiers there sympathetic to our cause. I would love to be a good neighboring nation to them, so that requires cooperation. Their ideals leave much to be desired, but those could be swayed, and they have the right overall goal. Just don't engage them, or do anything to piss them off overmuch, and we should be golden." Nate browsed his documents one last time, before standing up.

"And that wraps it up! Meeting is adjourned. You all know what you need to do, so let's get started. Remember, there's a party later, so I want you all to relax and have fun. We may not get another chance like this to just relax for quite some time."

* * *

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. 3,800 words is a pretty nice goal for me, but I cant guarantee anything solid. I just go with the flow, yet most of the time the river turns out to be dry. Oops.  
**

 **As always, leave a comment so I can fix my issues! Lord knows I have too many. Following and Favoriting are certainly nice too, so if you like where this is heading, be sure to do that! Thanks all, and goodbye.**


End file.
